Good Morning Girls Devotional Week 3: Why Easter Matters

I am, as usual, a week behind. So here I am playing catch up again. Here is the reading for Monday, 4/14. Week 3 focuses on Why The Resurrection Matters. 

Read: 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, 14.

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
 
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.....And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 

S: 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 14
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.... And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.  

O: We find that the most important thing we take away from this is that Christ died for our sins!! And it happened just the way it said it would. It was foretold even back into the Old Testament!

BUT, had the events not happened and Christ didn't ascend into Heaven, then everything we have been told, everything we believe, we be for naught. It is by His death and glorious resurrection that we have HOPE!

A: I, for one, that Jesus gave His life for me. Without faith, without God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, there would be no hope in life. Nothing we could put our full trust in. Imagine what an empty world it would be.

I can show my respect and love for Jesus by doing things as He would expect. I need to keep my words and actions to what Jesus would expect of me. To do things as if He were right next to me, watching my every move.

P: Dear Lord Jesus, I am so glad to know that You love me so much! Your death, Your blood wiped away my sins. You love those who are unlovable. You love those who are broken. You love us just the way we are, sins and all. Forgive me of my sins, of anything that may not be OF You. Help me to be more like You in my words and actions. In Your Holy Name I pray. Amen

Easter Sunday

I'd like to wish you all a blessed Easter! This is a day late, but better late than never.
This one is the last of the series in the Holy Week series I have been sharing with you.

Have You Found What You’re Looking For? (Easter Sunday)

Like children scattering around a yard for Easter eggs, you and I are on a hunt.

We all hunt. Our thirsty souls rummage through every nook and cranny of this world, in search of shiny pleasures and saccharine delights.
Every such joy seeker, in pursuit of treasures that will not fade or rust or break or be stolen, must pay careful attention to Easter — not with a nod-off-through-the-sermon kind of attention, but with a real, earnest, eager attention riveted on Christ. If we miss the significance of the resurrection, we scamper past the greatest joy in the universe.

The Joy of Jesus

As the dark shadows stalked the soon-to-be crucified Christ, he turned his attention to joy. Throughout this Holy Week of his crucifixion, Jesus had foreshadowed his death for his disciples who struggled to make sense of it all. He addressed their concerns directly in John 16:19–24.

Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.

When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."

We rewind Holy Week to hear Jesus forecast the changes to come in his resurrection. He wanted his disciples to anticipate Easter Sunday as the cataclysmic dawning of true joy. And here’s what it all means for joy seekers.

A Blood-Bought Joy

Jesus spoke of this joy as he faced the torture of Good Friday. He faced denial, faced betrayal, faced beatings, faced splinters and nails and spears — he could not stop talking about joy! Only joy would keep him going. Joy was on his mind, joy was on his tongue, and joy was drawing him, not away from suffering, but into it (Hebrews 12:2).

Jesus went to the cross for joy: to buy joy, create joy, and offer joy.

As the world celebrated the savage killing of God, out of this sea of foaming rebel hostility emerged a blood-bought, inextinguishable joy.

An Unbreakable Joy

If the killing of the Author of life could not extinguish this joy Jesus speaks about, nothing can — and nothing ever will. No opposition from the world, no opposition to the gospel, and no cultural despising of Christ, will overcome the resurrection joy of Jesus.

As we have seen this week, the unquenchable joy of Easter was birthed in the greatest trauma and tragedy and evil the world has ever unleashed — the murder of the Son of God. Death, the Devil, demons and the coordinated rebellion of mankind all allied together cannot stymie this joy. Persecutors cannot steal this joy away. No power, no event, no enemy, can sequester the resurrection joy of Jesus Christ that burst out of the tomb with him.

Worldly joys are brittle in comparison. Sickness and poverty crumble joy, and the long process of aging and dying slowly strips life of all its worldly pleasures (Ecclesiastes 12:1–8). Death recedes all our joys, save one. Only one joy cannot be thwarted by death, because only one joy was purchased by blood.

A Newborn Joy

The resurrection joy of Jesus escapes the clutches of death because it’s the joy of the new creation, a joy broken free from the evil of this fallen world.

And this makes Easter breathtaking. As Jonathan Edwards boldly declared: “The resurrection of Christ is the most joyful event that ever came to pass.” And rightly did Charles Spurgeon say: “No man shall ever take from me the joy that Christ rose from the dead.” The resurrection is the most joy-filled divine event in biblical history worthy of our eternal adulation and awe and wonder. But it’s more than a breathtaking historical spectacle.

Jesus employed a common birthing analogy to introduce a radical cosmic birth. His death was the birth pangs of a new creation; his resurrection was the arrival of a new creation into history. In his resurrection, Jesus set in motion an unstoppable chain reaction that will one day culminate in the resurrection of the dead and the renovation of all creation.

Here’s the point. In the long history of joy in this fallen world, after ages of unsatisfied appetites and hunger pangs in the hearts of men and women and children, the resurrection of Christ marks a crescendo. Never has joy found greater expression on earth. In John 15:11, Jesus offered his disciples “full joy,” an invitation only possible from within the final stage in cosmic history. Such a stage was born on Easter morning.

Jesus wants his disciples to thirst for a post-resurrection joy as the arrival of a newly amplified joy, a long-awaited and long-anticipated joy, a never before fully seen or experienced joy in human history. The resurrection of Christ will bring the most spectacularly joy-filled event because it ignites an eternally abiding and forever unconquerable joy.

The Old Testament foretold of this joy, the birth of Christ announced this joy, Holy Week seemed to extinguish this joy, but the resurrection of Christ is the point in history when the unassailable torch of God’s joy emerged from the sea of foaming rebel hostility, rose up and lit the summit of an Olympic torch of joy that will burn for all eternity.

A Joy for the Asking

But as magnificently as this joy entered the world in this defining moment in cosmic history, this joy presses close to us. So Jesus taught his disciples to ask and seek for more of this joy. This is the open invitation of the Messianic age.

And this joy makes sense of the logic of John’s Gospel. Jesus said he must die and go to the Father, and would leave his joy with the disciples. Once he was with the Father, Jesus sent the Spirit to dwell in them (another unmistakable sign of the new creation). United to Christ, the disciples would now pray by the Spirit, to the Father, through the Son.

Easter reshapes prayer, spirituality, and joy. With this inauguration of a new creation, the disciples became adopted sons who could pray to a Father who is eager to pour out spiritual flourishing upon them in every way, leading to a full and satisfying joy which nobody can take away.
Which is great news for the disciples.

Inexpressible Joy for You

But Jesus’s bold resurrection joy promised to the disciples in John 16:19–24 is now offered to you and me. We are promised the same “joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” (1 Peter 1:8).

In Christ, God delights to pour out this resurrection joy into your life, a joy that fills, and a joy that cannot be stolen from you. What do we do? We simply ask our gracious Father for more of it!

The Easter joy Jesus foretold has arrived, and it’s deeply personal. The resurrection is both a cosmic event, and it comes intimately close, reminding us of God’s work in our lives. “The point of Easter is that God is in the process of clearing this world of all heartbreak” (John Piper). Therefore, “Christ’s resurrection not only gives you hope for the future; it gives you hope to handle your scars right now” (Tim Keller).

Such a restoring and reviving joy was purchased for you and me in the resurrection of Christ.

Feast and Celebrate

Easter is for stark contradictions.

If Christ is still dead, death reigns, and all our joys are vain. So hoard every plastic Easter egg you find, because whatever you find inside is all the joy you have to grab. Or, as Paul says, “If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die’” (1 Corinthians 15:32).

But if death is dead, and if the dead are raised — if Christ is risen from the dead! — brothers and sisters let us feast and celebrate, for the dawning light of our inextinguishable and inexhaustible eternal pleasures have broken into the darkness, offering us a life of joy in Christ that cannot fade or rust or be stolen away!

Today, delight in the resurrection joy of Christ, pray it bigger in your life, and treasure it for all eternity.

---

This is the final post in Desiring God’s 2014 Holy Week series “The Final Days of Jesus,” inspired by the new book of the same title by Justin Taylor and Andreas Köstenberger. Holy Week illustrations provided in partnership with Crossway Books and Adam Greene. Previously in the series:

• The Problem of Palm Sunday
• No Turning Back (Monday of Holy Week)
• The Escalating Conflict (Tuesday)
• Spy Wednesday
• The Greatest Prayer in the World (Maundy Thursday)
• It Is Finished (Good Friday)
• Let His Blood Be on Us (Saturday of Holy Week)

Tony Reinke (@tonyreinke) is a content strategist at Desiring God, blogger, the author of Lit! A Christian Guide to Reading Books (2011) and John Newton on the Christian Life: To Live Is Christ (2015), and hosts the Ask Pastor John and Authors on the Line podcasts. He lives in the Twin Cities with his wife, Karalee, and their three children.

 

The Story of Palm Sunday

The story of Palm Sunday isn't one everyone is familiar with. It is the story of Jesus' entrance into the city of Jerusalem. These are the days leading up to His crucifixion. 

Palm Sunday - Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem                     

It was a springtime Sunday in about the year 30 A.D. The holy city of Jerusalem was crowded with pilgrims who had come for the annual Passover celebration.

Jesus had spent many months traveling through the towns and villages of Palestine. He preached about the kingdom of God and healed the sick wherever He went. Now the time had come for Him to claim His title as the Messiah - the Savior that God had promised to the Jewish people.

Jesus knew His mission was almost finished. As they traveled to Jerusalem, Jesus warned His disciples that He would soon be put to death, and after three days He would rise again.

As they came near Jerusalem, Jesus told two of His disciples to go into a nearby village and bring a donkey that would be waiting there. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the donkey. Crowds of people spread their coats on the ground in front of Him. Some waved branches of palm trees, a sign of victory. The people shouted,

Hosanna!

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord- the King of Israel!

Only a king would be greeted this way (2 Kings 9:13), and the people wanted Jesus to be their king. Most of the people did not understand what kind of king Jesus would be. They expected their Messiah to be a great political and military leader who would free them from the tyranny of the Roman Empire. But the kingdom of God is not of this world. It is a spiritual kingdom that is now growing in the hearts of people who put their faith and trust in God.

Cleansing the Temple

Jesus went to the temple once He got into Jerusalem, and He didn't like what He saw. This most holy of places had been turned into a marketplace. Merchants were selling animals for temple sacrifices. Money changers were exchanging the pilgrims' money for special coins used in the temple. Many of these people were cheating the pilgrims who came to celebrate Passover in Jerusalem.

Jesus turned over the seats of the merchants and the tables of the money changers, scattering their coins. He told them all to leave. He made a whip of some cords and used it to drive out the animals. He said, It is written, 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations', But you have made it a den of robbers!

Teaching and Healing

Jesus went to the temple every day. Blind people, crippled people and sick people came to Him, and He healed all of them. He told stories and parables to help people understand the kingdom of God and God's love for all people. The crowds of people who came to hear Him were spellbound.

An expert on the Jewish Law asked Jesus which of God's commandments was most important. Jesus replied, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is just as important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the other commandments and the teachings of the prophets are based on these two.

Trust in God and Christian love (kindness and respect) for all people are the basis for everything Jesus taught us. These are the things that are really important in life.

Conflict with the Chief Priests and Elders

Not everyone was happy that Jesus was preaching at the temple every day. The chief priests and elders of the temple were angry and upset. The chief priests had given permission for merchants and money changers to use the outer courtyard of the temple, but Jesus had driven them out. They were afraid of a crackdown by Roman authorities because of the large crowds who followed Jesus. Worst of all, the people were putting their hopes and trust in Jesus. The temple officials felt their authority slipping away.

These temple officials came up with a plan to trap Jesus with His own words. They came to Jesus and demanded to know by what authority he was doing all these things. If Jesus said His authority was from God, they would accuse Him of blasphemy. If He did not claim authority from God, they could say He was just a crazy man.

But Jesus knew it was a trap. Instead of answering the question, He asked them another question: "Did the baptism of John come from heaven?" The temple officials realized this was also a trap. If they said "Yes", Jesus would say, "Then why didn't you believe him?" If they said "No" it would make the people angry because they believed John the Baptist was a prophet. So, they refused to answer.

As usual, Jesus had defeated his opponents at their own game! But the temple officials were even more angry and began to plot to have Jesus killed.

Lessons

For the Jews, Jerusalem was the holy City of God. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, He fulfilled an Old Testament prophecy (Zechariah 9:9-10) and left little doubt that He was accepting the title of Messiah. Jesus was adored by the crowds of people who had come to Jerusalem for Passover.

But there was harsh conflict between Jesus and Jerusalem's religious leaders. They clashed on issues of prayer, holiness, life after death and paying taxes to the Romans. Above all, they clashed on the issue of Jesus' authority from God. These conflicts led to Jesus being crucified less than a week after entering Jerusalem.

Jesus did some of His most important preaching during this final week. He spoke of His second coming and told parables of the kingdom of God. Most of all He said we must put our total trust in God and put that trust into action with kindness for other people.

Questions

What is Palm Sunday?

Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter, is a celebration of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Some churches decorate with palms and distribute palm branches in memory of the greeting Jesus received from the pilgrims as He rode into Jerusalem.

Why Did Jesus Preach and Work His Miracles Among the Jews?

The people known as Hebrews, Israelites or Jews were God's chosen people. It was God's plan to bring salvation to the Jews first, then to the rest of the world through the Jews. Jesus was born a Jew and remained faithful to Judaism (the Jewish religion) throughout His earthly life. He worked and preached mainly among the Jews of Palestine, which is now the country of Israel.

Christianity began as a small sect of Judaism. It was only after many Gentiles (non-Jews) converted to Christianity that it emerged as a separate religion. God has not revoked His covenant with the Jews (Romans 11:25-29), but His salvation is now available to all people of the world.

What Does Messiah Mean?

Messiah comes from a Hebrew word meaning "the anointed one." In Old Testament times, important people like kings and priests were anointed with oil as a sign of their office. For hundreds of years, the Jews had expected God to send them a special king (Daniel 9:25-26, Isaiah 7:14-17,11:1-9, Micah 5:2). 

Jesus avoided accepting the title Messiah until the very end because the people were expecting their Messiah to be a military and political leader instead of a spiritual leader. In Greek, the original language of the New Testament,  christos means "anointed one", and that is where the word "Christ" comes from.

Easter Bible Study "Why Easter Matters" Week 1

We are starting a new bible study. This one is about why Easter matters. We will learn about why this day is so important to us. Blessings to you all for the week. 

The reading for today is from the Book of John. There will be no SOAP for this reading. This will start tomorrow.

John 1:9-12: The one who is the True Light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He came into the very world He created, but the world didn’t recognize Him. He came to His own people, and even they rejected Him. But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God.

A post from Christmas Eve (a little late)

**Note to readers: I've been without internet so this is a late post.**

12/24/13  10:40pm

As I sit here this Christmas Eve, I think about the incredible thing that Mary did. She trusted an angel who told her she was not only going to be impregnated but the Child she will carry is going to be the Savior of the World, and at a later point in His life He will be crucified for all of mankind's sins. Can you just imagine that? I’m a parent and I could never imagine knowing ahead of time that the child that I had borne was going to be crucified one day. 

I have been reading much and watching some shows about the history of the Bible, Christmas, and delving into my own bible and some other references so I can learn more. It’s been quite the learning experience and one I hope to continue. 

Here are some little known facts that I came across today.  Do you know that, in essence, Jesus was born homeless? Think about it. Joseph is summoned back to Bethlehem to be counted “At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. This was the first census taken when Quirinius* was governor of Syria. All returned to their own towns to register for this census.” (Luke 2:1-3)

When Mary and Joseph arrive in Bethlehem, there are so many people that they don’t have a place to sleep, so they are relegated to a stable next to a local inn. “And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born…. She wrapped Him snugly in strips of cloth and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the village inn.” (Luke 2:6,7). 

It doesn’t mention any further as to where Jesus lived, but from all the accounts we read Jesus never really stayed in one place. He was always going from village to village. Think of the homeless people you see these days. I’m sure that none of us has looked at anyone homeless and thought to ourselves “Can this be someone special?” I’m sure that the people back then probably thought the same thing until they found out who He was.

Interesting fact #2. Jesus was Jewish. Well, I can’t exactly go back and explain to you, my dear readers, the genealogy of Jesus. BUT, in Matthew 1:1-17 gives a pretty good lineage. Let’s just say that it starts with Abraham and ends with Jesus. 

Also, Joseph is the descendant of King David. Mark 1:9-11 speaks of Jesus’ baptism as a Christian. “One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and He was baptized by John in the Jordan river. And when Jesus came up out of the water, He saw the heavens split open and the Holy Spirit descending like a dove on Him. And a voice came from heaven saying ‘You are my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with You.’” 

I happened to notice in Luke 2:7 where it mentions that Mary gave birth to her FIRST son. That got me scratching my head. I didn’t think Jesus had any brothers or sisters. So, I posed that question to a few people at church recently. The answer I got was this: James, who was one of Jesus’ disciples, was His brother. 

Most biblical scholars agree that Jesus’ birth wasn’t December 25. It became popular because it was already in pagan religious celebrations as the winter solstice, December 21. They felt those long, dark days could be lightened with feasts and decorations.

The church didn't really celebrate the birth of Jesus, Christmas, until between three and five centuries afterwards. In the passages surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ, it mentions how shepherds are out in the field tending to their sheep. According to what I’ve learned, it gets pretty cold in Israel in December. The animals wouldn’t be out grazing in the fields in the dead of winter. Luke's account "suggests that Jesus may have been born in summer or early fall. Since December is cold and rainy in Judea, it is likely the shepherds would have sought shelter for their flocks at night" (http://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/when-was-jesus-christ-born-was-jesus-born-december-25-christmas-day) 

*The Census of Quirinius refers to the enrollment of the Roman provinces of Syria and Judaea for tax purpose, taken during the reign of Augustus (27 BCE – CE 14), when Publius Sulpicius Quirinius was appointed governor of Syria.

 Well, my dear readers, I hope this gave you something to think about. It's my little contribution to little known facts! I hope you will leave your comments on this. :)

The Shepherds visit the Christ child. Luke 2:15-18

Luke 2: 15-18

      When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

      They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.  After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.  All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished.

Wow, those shepherds sounded so excited! Think about it. God promised that Mary would give birth to a Savior. Low and behold, He’s here!! Can you just imagine?!!? Think of that innkeeper who turned them away. Look what he missed out on. I’m surprised he didn’t run out and start renting rooms to whoever came into town! What a grand money-making deal he could’ve had!

As I drift here and there for ideas (I’ve had a long day and I’m beat), I came across a site with sermons from almost every Christian denomination. They all have a common theme. It is the miracle of Jesus’ birth. 

Think of it, here are these shepherds, on a hillside where everything is quiet & peaceful. Suddenly, the sky is filled with heavenly light & you hear the news that the world has been waiting for a thousand years! At first, these angels scared the shepherds. I would’ve been scared too! It’s not every day that some spiritual being comes down from heaven to tell you that a Savior will be born.

But after the angels went back up to heaven, the shepherds decided for themselves to see what all the who-ha was about. After all, this was the Messiah promised by God! Could this possibly be?

Faithfulness. That’s what Mary and Joseph had when God told Joseph that his bride-to-be would give birth to a child who would one day change the world. Joseph knew that Mary was still a virgin even though she was “with child”. Mary stayed faithful to God’s word when He told her that she would be carrying His Son.

We need to trust in the promise of life everlasting with Jesus. We need to stay faithful to His words and His teachings. He will never let us down. Stay faithful in the true and pure love of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He will always be there for us.